I first want to thank everyone who posted a comment on my blog yesterday. I'm so relieved to know I'm not the only one who hears voices in my head... lol  I'm also glad to know I'm not the only one who wants a happy-ever-after!

So now, the winner of a free download of any of my books is....

(drum roll)


CORINNE DAVIES!

Corinne please email me for your free book - phylliscampbell84302 (at) yahoo (dot) com.

~Phyllis~

How many authors have you talked to who say they hear voices in their head?

Well, believe it or not, that's the truth. People (usually one gorgeous, HOT, man with a muscular physique - and one sexy woman with the body of a model) chat away in my head to tell me what kind of story they want. But that doesn't happen first. For me, my stories start with a dream. I usually dream a scene or two of the story, so when I wake up I realize this would work great in a book. Sometimes my dreams are the characters I want although the dream isn't. lol Either way, this is the start of my stories. I come up with names, and once again, my characters have to approve or the story isn't getting to chapter two at all! Then I figure out what setting to put them in. Most of the time I'm trying to fit them in a historical, which is the genre I love.

So then we start writing and working with our critique partners / groups. By the end of the story we think we have the next New York Times best seller. Then we get our baby in front of agents or editors... And this is where the rejections start coming.

After the first couple of rejections, we think the agents or editors were reading our NY Times best seller wannabes on a bad day. But by rejection six or seven...we start to doubt ourselves and our writing. We tell ourselves we write CRAP and couldn’t compete with the big authors no matter what...and perhaps the agents and editors actually were right to reject us. Then a week later, we finally get a request. Out of 12 queries we send - with 11 rejections - we finally get that ONE agent or editor who thinks that maybe our story is good. Then wouldn't you know, our attitude changes, and once again, we KNOW they're going to fall in love with it and we will be a NY Times best selling author.

Believe me when I say the emotional roller coaster ride is continual. I've had 23 books published so far in my career, and I still can't seem to get off this emotional ride. My husband tells me it's worse than PMSing. And...I believe him!


So tell me...why do we write? Why do we put ourselves through this? I'll tell you why I do it. Because I LOVE creating stories. I love the magic of romance and the idea of falling madly in love with the person you’ll be with forever. I love writing twists in my plots, and I especially love writing sexual tension!! I have two daughters, who I raised and are now out and of the house, and for once in my life - I can make someone do what I want them to do and they don't talk back... And even if my characters did talk back, at least I can put them in my mental closet for a day and teach them some manners. Usually they come back out ready for me to write. (grins)

Now it's your turn. What drives you to continue writing through all of the pitfalls this business throws at us?


~Phyllis~

I'm excited to show everyone my new website / blog. Of course you know what this means, right? I have to actually blog. hahaha  No need to fear, I'll only try to do it once in a while, not every day. lol

Take a peek at my published stories pages, and the page that shows you the stories I'm trying to find a home for.

Thanks for coming!

~Phyllis~